Finger ring set with sheet metal latch



June 26, 1956 s. PADWE 2,751,763

SET WITH SHEET METAL LATCH FINGER RING Filed Nov. 10, 1954 IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent FINGER RING SET WITH SHEET METAL LATCH Seymour Padwe, Newark, N. J.

Application November 10, 1954, Serial No. 467,969

1 Claim. (Cl. 63-15.2)

This invention relates to finger ring locks, whereby a pair of rings, as for example a wedding ring and an engagement ring, are held together in proper relation and alignment.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a ring lock of the utmost simplicity which is fully eifective for its purpose.

An advantage of the ring lock hereinafter described, and shown in the accompanying drawings, is that it may be very economically produced, consisting, as it does, of a one-piece stamping which needs no afiixation to either ring but which is readily placed in locking position and is readily removed from the rings.

Another advantage of the invention is that it does not require any accessory parts which in former locks must be attached to one or both rings, which parts add substantially to the expense of the lock both as to materials and labor.

A further advantage is that the rings used with my lock require no unusual construction, and therefore have the same appearance as rings without locks.

A still further advantage, consequent upon the immediately previous statement, is that the rings may be worn with or without the lock and therefore the rings may be sold separately.

Another advantage is that the one-piece lock may be readily put in place and readily removed from the rings.

An additional advantage is that, due to the simplicity of construction, the present lock does not interfere with the play of light on diamonds or other gems, and for the same reason does not collect particles of dirt.

Other advantages will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

In the drawings, which are illustrative of the invention,

Figure 1 shows two rings locked together by means of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of one form of the invention magnified 14 times actual size;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view, partly in section, of the upper parts of the two rings locked together by the lock shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of an engagement ring showing, in the wall of the box thereof, a slot thru which one end of the lock extends, and also shows the position of that end as the insertion is made and also after the ring is turned thru 90 to its normal position 1. e., into alignment with the other or wedding ring; and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a modification of the lock of the previous figures.

Referring to the drawings for a more detailed description thereof, the form of the invention shown in Fig. 2, which is 14 times the actual size, is a one-piece lock which may be formed by stamping out from a sheet of metal or otherwise, and plated. The lock may be described as comprised of a shank and ring-holding or ringretaining end sections transversely disposed relative to the shank. Two of said end sections have an additional function hereinafter'stated. The shank includes a single 2,751,763 Patented June 26, 1956 2, section 5 and a bifurcated section 6 integral with the inner end of section 5. The bifurcated section includes the branches or sections 7 and 8 and these are integral respectively with outwardly-extending, lateral, transversely disposed, ring-retaining ends 9 and 10. The branches 7 and 8 are preferably laterally resilient so that they may be pressed closer to each other by inward pressure of the fingers on the outer ends of end sections 9 and 10 for the purpose hereinafter made clear. The single section 5 of the shank, which is in line with the longitudinal axis of the bifurcated section, has a transversely disposed ringholding section 12 at its outer end. Section 6 is preferably tapered, that is, it is wider at its outer end than at its inner end; the reason for such construction will be later explained. It will also be seen that notches 7a and 8a are provided respectively at the outer edges of the branches 7 and 8 of section 6, adjacent the end sections 9 and 10 respectively. The purpose of these notches will be presently explained.

Fig. 3 shows how the described device locks the rings together. This view shows in section the upper part of a wedding ring 15 and of an engagement ring 16, while Fig. 1 shows perspectively the same rings locked. From these figures it will be seen that the engagement ring setting comprises a four-sided box 18 and a top 18b thereon, while the wedding ring has a hollow head 20. The hollowness of head 20, which, incidentally, is a usual decorative construction when the head is gem-set, means that it has 2 side walls, which are designated 21 and 22, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. It is also a frequent practice to provide a few opposing piercings in each side wall of the head, and advantage is taken of this fact in fitting the lock of this invention into one of the rings. Fig. 3 shows the lock extending thru one of these piercings in each of the mentioned walls of the head of ring 15. The cross end 12 is first passed thru said piercings, at the same time inward pressure is exerted on the ends of cross pieces 9 and 10 as aforesaid, to bring the outer sides of branches 7 and 8 substantially into parallel relationship, thereby diminishing the lateral width at the outer end of the bifurcated section, to enable it to pass thru the outer piercing on ring 15, said width being normally slightly wider than the width of said outer piercing. When the lock is inserted in ring 15 until the cross pieces 9 and in abut against the outer side of that ring, the mentioned pressure on the end pieces 9 and 16 is released and outward pressure is exerted by branches 7 and 8 against the ring at the boundary of the outer piercing, as shown in Fig. 3, said boundary entering the mentioned notches 7a and 8a to afford secure locking action. The other end of the lock, namely, the end having cross piece 12, extends beyond ring 15 and into ring 16, entering the latter ring thru a keyhole aperture 19 which is shown in Fig. 4. The aperture 19 is formed in a side wall 18a of the box 18 of the engagement ring 16. To allow the cross piece 12 of the lock to enter the aperture 19, the ring 16 is turned from its normal alignment with ring 15, and then turned back into alignment, the two rings being thereby securely locked together. It may be added that altho I have shown and described one form of my invention as having the bifurcated section tapered and laterally resilient, and as having notches 7a and 8a, a practical lock may be made within the general idea of this invention without these features; they are however desirable as adding to the efficiency of the lock.

Referring now to Fig. 5, which shows a modified form of my lock, this form is essentially the same as the previously described form, the only difference being that the bifurcated part of the lock is joined directly to the single end piece, which in this form is designated 12b, the other parts or features, namely 7b, 8b, 70, 80, 9b, and

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101), corresponding respectively to parts or features 7, 8, 7a, 3a, 9 and 10 of the previous form. Other variations or forms may be devised by those skilled in the art but which are within the scope of'this invention. a r a a What is claimed is: The combination of a first finger ring, a second finger ring, said rings being adjacent and substantially parallel, each of said rings having a hollow ornamental portion with side Walls disposed in the direction of the sides of the ring, the first ring having opposed openings in both of its side walls and the second ring having essentially an opening only in its inner side Wall, a one-piece branched locking link passing thru said apertures and'connecting said rings together solely by contact with the outer wall of the first ring and with the adjacent inner wall of the second ring, said locking link comprising a single ring-retaining crosspiece at one end thereof, said crosspiece engaging the inner side of the inside wall of the second ring, and a pair of oppositely and laterally extending crosspieces at the ends of the branches of the link and engaging the outer side of the outer wall of the first ring, the branches of the link pressing laterally outward against the outer wall of the first ring, the branches of the link being laterally resilient so that they may be pressed toward each other to facilitate the insertion and withdrawal of the link from both of said rings, the length of the aperture in the second ring being greater than its width, the length of said single crosspiece being longer than the width of said second ring aperture but shorter than the length thereof, the length of said link between the inside face of said single crosspiece and the inside faces of said pair of crosspieces on the branches being substantially equal to the distance between the outside face of the first ring and the inside face of the second ring engaged by said single crosspiece, the dimensions of said single crosspiece being such that it may pass thru both apertures of the first ring, and pass thru the aperture of the second ring when its length is aligned with the length of the last mentioned aperture.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,061,442 Bassick May'13, 1913 2,000,241 Mangin May 7, 1935 2,507,348 Peterson May 9, 1950 2,571,674 Branstein Oct. 16, 1951 

